Action urged on crash technology

Inaction by European governments will delay an initiative designed to save 2,500 lives on roads across the EU every year, the European Commission said last week. The Commission has set September 2009 as a target for the introduction of the initiative.

By that date all new cars made in the EU should have a pan-European in-vehicle emergency call system, named eCall. However, the EU fears that, without the full commitment of governments, the plan will be delayed and lives will be lost.

The technology is triggered in a crash and automatically calls emergency services and reports the exact location. eCall may be triggered automatically, or manually by a "panic button".

The accurate location information will drastically cut emergency response time. The Commission says studies indicate response times will be reduced by 50 per cent in rural areas and 40 per cent in urban environments. It says this will save up to 2,500 lives across the 25 member states and reduce the severity of injuries by 15 per cent. Last year 43,000 people lost their lives on roads across the bloc.

The system will also allow road users to be informed more quickly of the location of severe accidents and the Commission believes congestion could be cut by as much as 20 per cent.

The Commission and car-makers agreed last February on an action plan aimed to introduce eCall in all new vehicles from 2009, but governments have not been as enthusiastic as industry.

Speaking at the Frankfurt car show last week, Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding said she was "generally pleased with the progress on eCall, in particular on the industry side. However, if member states don't react, or fail to invest in the emergency service infrastructure, we face a delay in the introduction of eCall technology."

Ireland, in common with most other EU states, has not signed a memorandum of understanding that will commit it to eCall. Only Finland and Sweden have so far signed up. Switzerland has also indicated its intention to take part.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Transport said: "The Department has not had any formal communication from the European Commission although we are aware of the eCall initiative".